Sunday, August 24, 2014

It's no secret that Vitamin C serums are a huge skin care must-have these days. With anti-aging, acne-fighting, and scar-reducing properties, they're sweeping the beauty blogosphere; even I'm writing a series on Vitamin C you can follow!

The benefits of Vitamin C have always been known to skin care specialists, but it's only recently emerged in highly concentrated forms—through serums.

So how does one exactly apply a Vitamin C serum? Here are some simple instructions and tips on where, when, and how to apply a Vitamin C serum:

Where

Vitamin C serums are formulated for the face, although they are fantastic for the neck and décolletage areas as well. Vitamin C targets wrinkles and fine lines and acne scars, and has been known to reverse signs of premature aging and sun damage as well. Since skin on the face and neck is extra sensitive (and not to mention, prone to wrinkles!) it's important to treat those areas with serum.

Pro tip: When shopping for Vitamin C serums, try to find one that uses natural, organic, and cruelty-free ingredients. Like any skin product you use, they should not contain chemicals that can be harmful for your skin such as parabens, comedogenic oils, alcohol, or petroleum. Check out the serums I've reviewed in the past—most of them were all-natural and cruelty-free, and I would recommend them to anyone! Stay tuned for a giveaway at the end of this post to WIN one of them for free!

When

To get the most out of Vitamin C serums, you should apply them consistently, just like you would any other skin product. That's key, here; many people are disappointed when they expect one application of Vitamin C to produce instant results—and they don't! It's kind of like a weight loss journey; the path to beautiful skin is not something you can expect to change radically overnight. Just like you can't expect to lose ten pounds after one workout, you can't expect all your wrinkles to be erased after using a serum once.

I use my serums twice a day—in both my morning and nighttime skin care routines—but since Vitamin C is mildly acidic, people with extremely sensitive or dry skin should only use it once a day. I have sensitive skin, and using my serums twice a day has not affected me aversely at all, so I think most people can get away with twice-a-day usage.

Serums should be applied right after cleansing (and after clarifying, if you use a toner) for maximum absorption. I use a few drops per application, because that's really all I need. Most serums are very watery, so a little amount goes a long way.

Immediately after the serum dries, you should use your regular moisturizer—this is a crucial step! While Vitamin C serums may contain added ingredients to moisturize your skin—such as Vitamin E, jojoba oil, or aloe—the serum itself is NOT a moisturizer, and in fact can actually dry out your skin. Therefore, it's always safe to follow up with lotion, cream, emulsion, or whatever else you use on a daily or nightly basis. Hydration is very important for acne-free, or for more mature skin, wrinkle-free skin.

Pro tip: Different kinds of serums can be used in conjunction with each other, so if you have any other serums in your beauty repertoire, such as hyaluronic acid or retinol treatments, you should apply those on top of your Vitamin C serum, and then follow with moisturizer.

How

There's really no right or wrong way to apply a serum, but what I like to do is place a few drops on my fingers and dab it all across my face and neck—cheeks, nose, forehead, temples, chin, jaw, browbone, throat, chest—and then pat it in gently using my fingertips, kind of like I'm giving myself a mini massage. Use very soft patting or tapping motions because you don't want to tug or pull on your face—that promotes wrinkling.

Pro tip: When dispensing serum from the bottle, don't squirt it into your palm. The skin on the inside of your hands is rough, usually drier than anywhere else, and has bigger grooves and indents than any other skin on your body. Just look at your palm, how many lines it has!

Instead, you should dispense the product onto the back of your hand, or directly to your fingertips (if it's not too runny) so that the least possible amount of product is absorbed into the skin on your hands. This saves product, which in turn saves your face (more moisture!) and saves money (yay!).

Giveaway!

One lucky Books à la Mode reader will wina full-size bottle of Petunia Skincare Vitamin C Serum—yay! I've been using this serum for about a week now, and it's a great addition to my skin care routine. It makes the surface of my skin slightly sticky, so that when I apply other serums and eventually moisturizer on top of it, my skin absorbs everything better. Petunia Skincare's serum is safe for dry or dull skin, and can minimize wrinkles, fine lines, signs of aging, as well as sun spot, dark spots, and age spots. It also helps return lost elasticity and firmness to skin, so it's really a miracle product!To enter the giveaway, all you have to do is tell me:

What song are you currently obsessed with? If you're not a huge music listener (gasp!), just tell me one of your all-time favorite songs.

I know, I know... completely irrelevant, but I just have to know! I also needed an excuse to share this song with you guys. I've been playing it on constant loop for days.

Super sad, but super addicting. What do you think?

Don't forget the entry eligibility terms and conditions!

Sponsored wholly by the company—a huge thank you to the fabulous folks at Petunia Skincare!

Giveaway ends September 7th at 11.59 PM (your time).Open to US residents only—sorry, everyone else! Please check my sidebar for a list of currently running giveaways that are open internationally—there are plenty to choose from!

Void where prohibited.Winners have 48 hours to claim their prize after they have been notified, otherwise risk forfeiting their winnings.

Although I do randomly select winners, I am in no way responsible for prizes, nor for shipping and handling.

As a reminder, you donothave to follow my blog to enter, though it is always very much appreciated ❤

Good luck!

FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary sample of this Vitamin C Serum from Petunia Skincare using Tomoson.com in exchange for an honest review. I was neither paid nor sponsored in any way to share my opinions—positive or otherwise—and all thoughts reflected in this unbiased post are mine and mine alone. I only recommend products or services I have used personally and believe will be good for my beautiful readers!